Kathmandu: Nepal’s tormented and conspiratorial politics took a new turn when the Lauda fraud investigating authority CIAA sent five sealed questions last week to the sitting Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala asking him to provide the details in answer form regarding the procurement of the Lauda air.
Quite imaginably, the airtight questions at first might have disturbed the peace of minds of the Prime Minister and a practically a “nervous” Koirala expressed his “desire” to quit from the chair.
However, this was not to happen.
His close aides including the “inner exclusive organization” or say the coterie that comprises mainly of his family men and near and dear distant relatives, brushed aside the five pertinent questions asked to the Prime Minister by the CIAA and even dared to proclaim that the entire “game-plan” of the CIAA had been to “sabotage democracy” so nicely protected by their man that is Prime Minister Koirala. A clear cut challenge to the constitutional authority that the CIAA enjoys unconditionally.
Some in the coterie even went to the extent to say that the “CIAA under the instigation of some powerful quarters managed to malign the prestige of the Prime Minister and that such activities bode ill for the nation and the democratic system as well”.
“I see a grand drawing in all these affairs aimed at destabilizing the Prime Minister and the system”, said an infuriated junior Koirala who happens to be one of the closest relative of the sitting Prime Minister. Junior Koirala is one among those many who comprise Koirala’s mini kitchen cabinet, it is widely talked.
Likewise, Shailaja Acharya-the niece of the Prime Minister, too instantly perceived “a threat to democracy” the moment she learnt of the five questions from the CIAA approaching the Prime Minister.
” There has been a calculated plan to malign the prestige and popularity of the Prime Minister. Those who were involved in this game wish the system going to the dogs”, hints Shailaja Acharya.
Add to this the “priceless” suggestions offered to Prime Minister Koirala by his close “ministers” in the cabinet and also by the influential set of the so-called “congress literati” in which all apparently have suggested the Prime Minister to consider the questions of the CIAA not more than a piece of paper which could in no way be considered worth seriously pondering over.
All these “valuable” suggestions put together emboldened the sitting Prime Minister to “challenge” even the authority of the Commission to ask questions to him of the sort mentioned in the letter sent by the commission a week back.
“‘The Commission possess no right to ask questions that come under the straight jurisdiction of the executive that is the government “‘, is the gist of what the Prime Minister replied to the CIAA through a letter sent last Thursday.
The CIAA upon receiving the somewhat ungraceful answers from the Prime Minister too apparently is in a fix on how to retort back or leave it as it is. Himalayan question indeed.
“‘We have received the Prime Ministerial answers to our questions. However, we will later decide on how to treat the answers supplied by Girija Prasad Koirala”, say the members of the Commission.
Reports have it that the CIAA which sits today to discuss over Koirala’s letter will decide whether to remain satisfied with those answers or summon the Prime Minister for a detailed interrogation at its office.
High placed sources say that the CIAA is not at all happy with the kind of response Koirala has sent to the Commission and chances were brighter that the investigating authority will acquire a hard posture against the Prime Minister in the coming days. The CIAA apparently should have been emboldened by Bhattarai’s “kind” words made in favor of the commission.
It will have to be watched how the CIAA takes up the matter regarding Koirala’s rough and tough answers sent to them in response of their five questions.
However, the fact is that the people wish to see the CIAA performing its duties in a courageous manner caring little whom it is interrogating and what would be its implications tomorrow.
If it does so, it would definitely bag accolades from the entire population.